Lessons from ICU. 6. Where you are trained, matters

As I was being treated at the emergency ward, there was one thing that concerned everyone – my blood pressure. It was 240/120. It was because of this high BP, the attending physician had warned my family that my heart may stop at anytime. But once the medication started, my BP started to come down. So, they decided to keep me in ICU to treat me for my high BP.

Once I reached the ICU, I started to sleep and sometime in the middle of the night, got up because someone was standing next to me and talking. I saw the two staff nurses who were in charge of the ICU that night there and one of them was complaining to the other: “But we should not do this without doctor’s consultation.” The other nurse was telling her: “But where is the duty doctor right now? Our first and foremost duty is the welfare of patients. Anyway, I will write it in my report. You don’t have to worry about it.”

I understood that one of the nurses, let us call her Sister M, was making a pretty important decision about one of the patients and the other nurse, let us call her Sister L, was quite scared to take such a decision without a physician’s consultation. So, sister M was assuring her that if something goes wrong, the blame would be squarely on the shoulders of sister M and not on sister L. Then I drifted back to sleep.

Next morning, the nurses changed shifts at 8 AM and a new batch of nurses started to take care of us at the ICU. And within an hour, there was quite an uproar near my bed, with physicians and medical students confused about something.

Apparently the medication to control my BP was turned off completely at 1:30 AM by sister M, with a note saying that my BP is normal and I don’t need the medication at all; that my high BP when arriving at the emergency ward must be because of the trauma I was suffering. Along with the note, she had written down my BP for every 15 minutes to show that I have no hypertension.

Obviously it did not go well with the “doctors”, but what surprised me was that they did not do these two things. 1. They did not restart my medication. 2. They did not reprimand sister M for taking such a big decision without a physician’s consultation.

However, the doctors did not change their view about my health. Even now, in all their reports, it is mentioned that I have hypertension. So, I was quite confused about all these. Then the answer came on July 13th night. The deputy superintendent (obviously, he is the second most powerful person in that hospital) had come for rounds. He took one look at me and asked the physician-in-charge, “What is this patient still doing in ICU?” The physician tried to explain that I have hypertension and hence, they did not know when to discharge me.

The deputy superintendent retorted, saying: “What hypertension? I have been following his case ever since he came into the emergency ward. Because of trauma, his BP was high when he got admitted. But on the very night, did not sister M turn off the medication because his BP is normal? Even now, you are taking his BP and it is always normal. So, what hypertension? If you did not know that trauma would cause high BP, how did you even become a doctor? Discharge him first thing in the morning”, and then he left.

So, sister M is right all along. But still I could not understand how she was so daring to change my medication and why no one even bothered to question her about it. Then as I was talking to another nurse, I got the answer. Of all the staff nurses working there, sister M is the only one who studied and trained at the prestigious Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore. While others have the same degree, they were from other institutes. And if you are coming from CMC, it means a lot. Though some of the other staff nurses, and the medical students and the interns were giving her looks, the head honchos knew her value and respected her for that.

Yes, dear friend, it does matter where you get your training. Especially in a life that determines not only how you are going to live in this world, but also in the world to come forever and ever. So, where are you getting trained?

Some Christians get their training from certain preachers. What the preacher says becomes gospel truth for them. Some of are trained based on the doctrines of the church we attend. Some are trained in the traditional ways of the Christian living.

But if you want to outshine everyone else, if you want to excel in the way of Christian life, there is only one place to be: at the feet of Jesus Christ. Learn from the Master Himself. Learn from the Greatest Preacher. HE is willing to teach us. Jesus knows our weaknesses, and hence will be patient with us in His dealing. HE will make sure we learn the lessons properly. There is only thing needed to be done and it shall not be taken away from us (Luke 10:42) and that is being trained at the feet of Jesus.